TODAY is World Gin Day and over the years many distilleries have opened across Herefordshire.
Each distillery has its own story, methods, and flavours, with many winning awards from various renowned competitions.
In celebration of this national day, we have put together a list of all the Herefordshire-based gins:
Penrhos Spirit
Penrhos Spirits is the brainchild of two third-generation fruit farmers, Charles Turner and Richard Williams, and their families.
Based in Kington, Penrhos makes its gin from “imperfectly perfect” fruit from Penrhos Farm that would otherwise go to waste, unable to be sold to supermarkets.
With the blueberries, raspberries, cherries, and apples on their farm on the front-line of the increasing issue of food waste, they decided what better way to use the what-would-have-been wasted ‘wibbly wobbly’ fruit than to traditionally distil a fruity botanical gin.
In August 2021, the distillery was crowned winner of Grow with Aldi – a nationwide search for the greatest craft spirits the UK has to offer.
Beating hundreds of other craft distilleries from across the UK, the victor Penrhos gin launches in Aldi’s 900 UK stores and online from August 9, for £17.99 (70cl).
Black Mountain Botanicals
Glyn Bufton and Llyod Reed founded Black Mountains Botanicals, in Michaelchurch Escley, Herefordshire.
In 2019 it was honoured at the Great Taste Awards, the world’s most coveted food and drink awards.
Judges described its gin as “expert gin” that “goes down like silk”.
In November 2021, television presenter Jules Hudson opened the doors to the distillery's new refurbishment and gin school.
Chase
The Chase distillery was founded by Herefordshire businessman William Chase, who originally launched Tyrells from his family’s farm in Rosemaund Farm in 2001.
After receiving numerous awards for taste and quality of crisps, Tyrells was sold for £30 million to Langholm Capital in 2008.
The sale of Tyrells allowed him to launch Chase Distillery, which makes potato vodka, gin and cider.
His homegrown gin and vodka flew off the shelves all over the world, and now the company offers a wide range of flavours.
In 2020, the distillery was sold to global drinks brand Diageo as he launched his newest brand Willy’s – a premium apple cider vinegar.
Tanners
Independent and family-owned Tanners Wine Merchants is often voted amongst the best merchants in the UK.
Its Hereford branch has a rich heritage running to nearly 200 years of trading in the city.
It came to Hereford in 1978 when it took over Pulling and Co, Hereford's old established wine merchants, which was founded in 1813 but could trace its origins back to 1760.
Its interesting premises has wines and spirits to explore including Pulling's Hereford gin and cider, which were both revived in 1978.
It now provides alcohol to individuals and business across the region, have a retail store in St. Peter's Square, and highlight Herefordshire's highly acclaimed drinks producers.
Hay Distillery
Hay distillery sits on the Herefordshire border in the countryside of Hay-on-Wye and started up in 2018.
Its signature gin Wild Knapp is inspired by the land surrounding the distillery on the hillside overlooking the river Wye and handcrafted in the wilds of Herefordshire.
Its botanicals include quince, apple, pear, homegrown thyme, bay, rose, rosemary, and foraged elderberry.
This is a London dry gin which means nothing is added after distillation other than its own spring water.
It then went on to create Dr Beaky’s and both gins won the Gold Award at international competitions.
Since then, it opened its small shop in Hay-on-Wye and will soon be moving to a bigger premises where it will develop new products, according to its website.
Haven Distillery
Set deep in the heart of Herefordshire Haven Distillery makes a hand-made, small batch gin, which is available in many local stores such as Tanners and Hay Wines, as well as many other Herefordshire delis, farm shops and village stores.
Created by Duncan and Alex Fox in 2016, the small-batch producer makes 200 bottles a week in a former farm outbuilding in Dilwyn measuring just four by five metres.
In 2020 it harvested a bumper crop of lemon verbena to flavour its award-winning gin.
Founder Duncan Fox previously said: “We created a range of gins to encapsulate our ‘herb garden in a bottle’.”
Duncan, a former software engineer, has perfected three varieties of gin – London Dry, Lemon Verbena and Pink Grapefruit - using a combination of traditional and cold vacuum distillation.
He distils botanicals, including lemon thyme, bay, apple mint, rosemary, angelica, and lemon verbena, all grown by Alex at their on-site herb garden, to flavour the spirits, while each exclusively designed bottle is made using recycled glass.
The distillery has won numerous awards including 'Signature Botanical Gin of the Year 2016' at the London Craft Distilling Expo and was granted two-stars and one-star at the Great Taste awards for its London Dry and Lemon Verbena lines, in 2018.
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